1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to timing devices and more specifically to gravity flow timers of the type having a pair of chambers which are connected by a restricted throat or valve portion and wherein a freely flowable material passes from one chamber to the other in a predetermined amount of time. The present invention is further directed to gravity flow timers which are resettable by including structure which allows the flowable material to be immediately discharged from one chamber to another so that the timing cycle of the timer is immediately established. The timing devices of the present invention are primarily designed for use in game situations.
2. History of the Related Art
There are currently many games available to consumers which are regulated by timing the sequence of play between each of the various players so that a move or action must be taken within a predesignated amount of time. The sophistication of timing devices utilized with games depends upon the specific environment in which the games are to be played. For instance, in competition tournaments for chess each move of a player is controlled by electronic equipment. On the other hand, in home games wherein players must make a move or answer a question in a specified amount of time, reliance is more generally based upon mechanical or conventional gravity type timers. The most economical of the timers for use in conventional board and card games are gravity timers which are of an hour glass configuration. During play, timing is initiated by inverting the hour glass so that material will flow from an upper chamber to a lower chamber through a restricted orifice or neck portion. Such timing devices are designed to give a predetermined amount of time for a player to take an action, answer a question or make a play. Unfortunately, in many instances a player acts before time has expired and therefore the next player in sequence must await the completion of the timing cycle before additional play is possible. In some instances the delay in game play can be an annoyance to the players or may have the effect of decreasing the degree of concentration or level of excitement exhibited by the players.
In an effort to overcome the problems exhibited by conventional hour-glass type timers, there have been several structures proposed for allowing gravity timers to be reset. In Wachtel U.S. Pat. No. 3,125,849 a timing device is disclosed which incorporates a pair of chambers which are connected by an intermediate valve. The valve is rotatable so as to selectively align two different channels with the chambers. One of the channels is considered the timing channel while the other channel, which is of a larger dimension, is used as a reset channel. When the valve is turned so that the reset channel is aligned with the two chambers the flow rate of material is increased so that the timing device may be set in an expedited manner. Unfortunately, with this device it is necessary to provide an intricate valve mechanism between the two chambers. The additional structure requires that the valve be sealed relative to the chambers so that no material will wedge between the housing of the timing device and the rotary valve. These complications increase production costs and therefore, such timers would not be conducive for use in a conventional home game.
Other resettable timers have been developed which require no moving parts. In Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,030 a resettable timer is disclosed which includes a housing having an inner baffle system wherein the baffles creates a first restricted flow channel relative to the housing along one side thereof and secondary less restricted flow channels along the remaining sides of the baffles and housing. By rotating the housing the material contained therein flows around the baffles to its initial starting point. Unfortunately, with this type of structure, a step-by-step rotation of the housing is required in order to bring all the flowable material to a common chamber. This means that an individual must first rotate the device 90.degree. and thereafter allow the material to move to a first position, thereafter rotating again another 90.degree., with this process continuing until all of the material is within a common chamber above the first flow channel.
Some additional examples of prior art gravity flow timing devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,144,857 to Schultz; 4,431,313 to Hemperly; French patent 1,435,742; West German patent 2,255,154 of 16 May 1974; and British patent 23,894 of 13 Dec. 1893.